Emory i



E. I. NICHOLS. LIPTING AG (No Model.)

No. 413,864. Patented'OQt. 29, 1889..

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Y UNITED STAT-Es PATENT OF ICE.

' EMORY I. NICHOLS, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE NICHOLS-MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

Ll FTl NG-JACK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 413,864, dated October 29, 1889.

Application filed January 16, 1889. Serial No. 296,543. (No model.)

To all whom it may concerns Be it known that LEMORY I. NICHOLS, of

the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Lifting-Jacks; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to the class of liftingjacks; and my invention consists in the hereinafter-described novel construction and arran gement of hollow standard, ratchet liftingver, spring-controlled pawls carried thereby,-'- and stop-piece for releasing the pawls.

bar mounted therein, vibrating operating-leing-jack. Fig. 2 is a section showing the pawls thrown from their engagement in order to allow the ratchet-bar-to be run down. Fig. 3 is a horizontal cross-section showing the mounting of the lever in the standard.

A is the hollow standard.-

B is the ratchet lifting bar seated in the standard and adapted to have ayertical movement therein. This bar has teeth in both sides, as shown, and carries at its top the lifting-bracket b. I

C is the operating-lever. The head 0 of this lever passes through the slotted top, a of the standard, and it has on each side the pivot pins or lugs c, which drop into and are seated in shoulders a, Fig. 3, formed within the standard. These shoulders form the fulcrumbearings about which the lever vibrates. The

t head 0 of the lever is also slotted, Fig. 8, to

' permit the passage of the ratchet lifting-bar B. In the head of ,the lever are formed the bearin -shoulders 0 in which are seated the rounded bases (1 of the pawls D, so that said pawls have apivotal movement in the shoulders, their upper ends engaging the ratchetteeth of'thebar B==.,on e on each side-being heldup to their work by the springs 61' bearing behind them. These shoulders 0 thus bear the direct weight, and the pawls,being load to the best advantage.

nearly vertical, are adapted to support the pawls have outwardly-projecting extensions d whereby they may be thrown from their engagement by hand.

The operation of the jack is as follows: The lever 0 being vibrated, its pawls successively engage the teeth of the ratchet lifting-bar B on each side, and thus raise it, one tooth for each movement of the lever; but in order to relieve the ratchet lifting-bar B of the en The tops of the gagement of the pawls, so that it may be run down, I have secured ate in the base of the slotted top a of the standard a small"'stop piece E, which, lying directly under the leverhead, prevents it from moving too far down. By moving this stop-piece to one side out of the way of the lever-head the latter may be moveddown, as shown in Fig. 2, so far as to bring the faces of its pawls D against the face of the ratchet-teeth, which, as shown, are preferably formed with plane surfaces. In this position the pawls are held vertically and are out of engagement with the ratchet-teeth, thereby freeing the bar B and allowing it to be moved up or down freely by hand, the plane surfaces of the teeth permitting it to pass by the pawls readily.

The stop-piece E may be pivoted to the standard-top, so as to permit it to he moved out of the way of the lever-head, or it may be of a springy nature, thus adapting it to be forced aside sufficiently to allow the leverhead to move past it. It need not be located in the base of the standard-top under the lever, but may be secured above, the only requirement being that when in position it shall limit the movement of the lever-head, so as to keep the pawls to their engagement,

-and when out of position shall allow the further movement of the lever-head, for the purpose described. 7

I am aware that it is not new in liftingjacks to employ a ratchet lifting-bar and a vibrating lever with pawls engaging said bar and adapted to effect its vertical movement,

and I do not, therefore, claim such, broadly;

but v i What I do claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is==' I 1. In alifting=jack, the combination of the hollow standard, vertically-movable liftingand passing through the slotted head of the bar therein having teeth on each side, vibratoperating-lever, said lifting-bar having ratching lever pivoted in the standard, pawls earet-teeth on both sides, the spring-controlled ried by the leverand engaging alternately the pawls having bases seated in the bearing- 5 teeth of the lifting-bar, and a movable stopshoulders of the lever-head and adapted to 25 piece on the standard for limiting the moveengage the teeth of the lifting-bar, and the ment of the lever when operating and allowmovable stop-piece E in the standard-topfor ing, When turned out of the way, its further limiting the movement of the lever-head when movement, whereby its pawls are thrown from operating and allowing, when turned aside,

IO and held out of engagement with the teeth of its further movement, whereby the pawls are 30 the lifting-bar, substantially as described. thrown from and held out of engagementwith 2. In a lifting-jack, the combination of the the teeth of the lifting-bar, substantially as hollow standard having the slotted top with described.

bearing-shoulders therein, the operating-le- In witness whereof I have hereunto set my 15 ver, the head of which is slotted and passes hand.

through the slotted top of the standard, said F M ORY I NICITOI head having side pivot pins or lugs seated in the bearing-shoulders of the standard, and Witnesses:

having also bearing-shoulders for the pawls, S. H. NOURSE, 20 the lifting-bar seated in the hollow standard H. 0. LEE. 

